The abdomen contains the muscles that most beginners struggle with because they take a long time to develop and need a low level of body fat to be seen. The abdominal muscle group consists of three main muscles:

1. Rectus abdominis – commonly known as the abs, this is a large flat muscle wall that runs from the lower chest to the pubic bone.

2. Obliquus abdominis – commonly known as the obliques, this muscle runs diagonally along the side of the mid-section from the lower ribcage to the pubic area. The internal obliques lie underneath the external obliques.

3. Transversus abdominis – this is a thin strip of muscle that runs horizontally across the abdomen.

You can target these muscles effectively by performing the following exercises:

1. Crunches – 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This exercise will work the upper abs.

2. Pelvic tilts – 3 sets of 15-20 reps.This exercise will target the lower portion of the abdomen below the navel.

3. Side bends – 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This exercise will work the obliques.

As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your abdominal exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below:

Day 1: Biceps, Back, Abs

Day 2: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs

Day 3: Quads, Forearms, Calves

Day 4: Triceps, Chest, Abs

For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.

Want to build Big Huge Muscles? Then you must Squat! The Squat will build big muscles on your entire body frame.

There are 3 types of people in this world.

First, there are those that make things happen. They calculated and know very sure what they want, then they take action and get it no matter what happens. They single mindedly pursue their ambition and they will ultimately succeed. In bodybuilding, they want to grow big and strong with big huge muscles. They SQUAT and squat and squat again. Have you ever seen anyone who is big, have huge muscles and have a well proportioned body like a Greek god who does not squat? Never.

Then there are those who watch things happen. They will savor the world around them. Then say, we will see what happens next. If it works, well we will decide if we are gonna do it.

These are the majority of the average Joes. They want to grow big muscles and be strong and muscular but are reluctant to make the effort to include the squat in their workout routine. Even if they do, they will do it haphazardly and will give up before they achieve their objectives. Then the excuses will flow. “Squats are too hard on my knees” or “Doing squat will stunt your growth” or “Squats are for my back” or “I just want a well toned body.” Excuses from sour grapes. That is why average joes just remain well… average. We will debunk those excuses later in this article.

Finally there are those that are always saying “Omigosh! What happened?” Needless to say, these people are the ones oblivious to what is happening around them. They will walk leisurely on a treadmill reading a book at the same time when others are raising their heart rates to improve endurance and burn fats.

They are the ones doing dumbbell curls after dumbbell curls when others are doing bench presses, dead lifts and squats. They are the ones who ask the champions why the champs are growing biiger muscles and getting fitter all the time whereas they are at the gym longer, more regular and yet not achieving any result. They will take note of the advises and the next time you see them, they are back to what they were doing. Reading that confounded book on the treadmill. They actually expect changes to take place by doing the same things. How is that possible? Then they will say, “Ah… but you are just lucky to have good genes!” What nonsense!

To build muscles fast and big, you must SQUAT! The squat is often touted as the king of exercise and is grouped together with the dead lift and bench press, collectively called the Big Three for power and muscle mass building.

If you want to build big muscles and enjoy a symmetrical physique, you must squat. Period.

In most gym, the squat rack is there collecting dust. Why? Because most people think that their legs will be hidden by their pants. Why bother? How dead wrong they are. Wait till you see them in their shorts or swim wear. You will see Spiderman ..er ..I mean spider legs.

Another reason why people avoid squatting exercises is because the squat work on many major muscles and is grueling work. When you perform squats correctly, you will huff and pant, wheeze, head spinning woozily, see stars, sweat profusely and your entire body will be screaming for you to stop.

Of course the exercise is brutal! You are working out about 75% of your entire muscular structure including your shoulders, traps, back, gluteus, hams, calf, abs and many other synergistic muscles in a single exercise, isn’t that supposed taxed your strength, endurance and your cardio health? Isn’t that the best exercise? Isn’t that why the results from squats will be astounding?

As an added bonus to building big muscles , you will be burning fats like crazy since the squat, given the intensity placed on your body, your metabolism zooms straight up! If your body fat ratio is high, it will help you lose body fat.

And because of the degree of difficulty, squats also force your body to release higher amounts of growth hormone , resulting in new muscle growth in all areas of your body. In addition, squats will cause a spillover effect, enabling you to gain strength in all of your other lifts. Awesome! It just befuddles me why, with all these benefits, people are avoiding squats like a bubonic plague. As for the hard gainers, squat will pack on pounds after pounds of muscle on your entire body! So hard gainers, you must squat to grow big!

If you squat with the correct form, heavy weight and sheer intensity, you will see good results in just weeks. Not just your lower body. Your entire frame will take on a different form. A total body transformation. Guaranteed!

You must know that since squats are performed with heavy weight, so correct form and techniques are critical and cannot be compromised. Anything less, you may sustain serious injury. However, when you adhere to the proper technique, you will be very safe and will enjoy all the benefits that come with the squat. Don’t cheat yourself and substitute squats with leg presses. They are of a different class!

Debunking Excuses!

It’s bad for the knees – In fact, it’s on the contrary. Just like the muscle tissue in your body strengthens when exposed to stress, the tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues in your body will also thicken in response to weightlifting. That means, it actually improve knee health when you squat. It also strengthens all the muscles around your knee and thus providing your knees with support when the muscles are strong and less stress is placed on the knees on your day to day activities. I know. I used to suffer from knee pain until I started squatting and now, my knees are in perfect health that I can even play competitive soccer. Knee problems only occur when you squat improperly like resting at the bottom of the movement or letting your knee protrude over your toes.

It’s bad for my back – For the same reasons about strengthening your tissues, squats also exercises your lower back. When done in correct form, it actually builds strong muscles on your lower back and not only correcting you from bad posture that results in a bad back, it may even give you a healthy strong back. Again, it will only hurt your back if done in poor form like bending forward or doing it with a rounded back instead of arching it during the movement.

It will give you high blood pressure and bad for the heart –
Sure, your blood pressure will rise as your heart will beat faster from the exercise. That is only temporary and not dangerous unless you already have those problems in the first place. Other than that you are actually exercising your heart and cardio vascular system to strengthen it. How can that be dangerous? Don’t most exercises elevate heart rate and increase blood flow? Then they should ban the treadmills and close all swimming pools! Do you buy that nonsense?

So, now that you know that squat is the king of bodybuilding exercises, are you the type that makes things happen or are still contend to be wondering what the heck happened?

Liquid nutrition products like Ensure ™ and Boost ™ have been used almost exclusively in nursing homes and hoispitals, until recently. Lately we have seen nutritional companies marketing these drinks to people of all ages and all stages of health.

Liquid supplements are supposed to be the answer for busy moms running around with the kids, business people running out the door out without time for a sit-down breakfast, and older adults wanting to insure that they will be able to enjoy their grandchildren. But what do these liquid nutrion product really offer?

In general, these supplements are composed of water, sugar, milk and soy proteins, oils, vitamins, and minerals. An 8-ounce can generally has 250 calories, and the deluxe version may have as many as 355 calories. Most are lactose free, some have added fiber, and some are specifically designed for children or adults with certain health problems.

These companies are also selling supplements in the form of pudding cups and candy bar type products, with varous nutrientional content.

What nutritional need are companies trying to help consumers answer? Below are some of the reasons companies give for buying their products.

These companies ad campaigns are using fear tactics to make you worry that you are not getting proper nutrition from your ordinary meals. True, some people are consuming less than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for some nutrients, this doesn’t mean they will develop a deficiency disease. If you truly feel you are not getting enough nutrients from your food, you should contact a registered dietitian or a KSU Extension Specialist in nutrition. They can help you determine your needs for additional supplements.

These “Eat on The run” Liquid supplements may be a quick way to get vitamins, minerals and protein, but there is more needed for good health! Scientists continue to discover new ingredienets in foods that provide health benefits. Consider this; the canned supplements have a severe lack of fiber and other healthy components but are really high in sugars and calories. Although this was ideal for the original intent of the products, most healthy consumers don’t want or need all the extra calories that the supplement provides.

In summary, while there is a need for liquid nutritional supplements in some medical conditions, these products are unnecessary for the average, healthy person. In addition, one must consider the cost of an 8 once can of these liquid supplements to determine if they should be included in their dietary regimen.

Many inexperienced (sometimes even experienced!) gym regulars believe that muscles grow while lifting weights. However lifting weights forms only a small fraction of the muscle building process. Muscle development takes place at night during deep sleep when the body synthesizes new cells with nutrients from our diet. Therefore nutrition forms a very important part of a bodybuilding program.

The body utilizes nutrients in food to perform daily metabolic and what’s commonly referred to as the “wear and tear processes”. With bodybuilding, additional strain is put on the body to make new muscle tissues. Therefore the nutrient requirements also shoots up to stay with the demand.

The best bodybuilding nutrition comes from a balanced intake of carbohydrates, adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, fats and large amounts of water. So if you are serious about getting lean and ripped it’s time to say goodbye to mayo burgers, colas and other synthetic foods. Adopt eating habits imbibing fruits, whole grains, milk, eggs and fresh farm products.

How much protein do you need?

Your growing muscles need amino acids to create new tissues. The amino acids are provided by protein in diet. There is a lot of debate on the exact quantity of protein required in bodybuilding. The caution to maintain is that extreme amounts of protein in the diet can cause gastric and renal complications. Recent studies have suggested that a protein intake of 1 to 1.4 grams per unit of body weight is adequate to sustain the bodybuilding process. This means that the protein requirement of a 70 kg individual should be around 70 to 98 grams. To give an estimate of the amount involved consider the following: A 100 gm chicken breast has 22 grams of protein, a glass of milk has 8 grams,an egg approximately 5 grams and a slice bread 3 grams.

A word of caution against the tide of bodybuilding supplements in markets. Many times you come across advertisements proclaiming, ‘Gain 20 pounds of muscle in 3 months flat!’. Stay clear of these money hungry advertisers. Building lean muscle takes time and effort. Making use of synthetic products which alter body’s natural mechanism would offset what should be your real purpose in bodybuilding which is to keep the body fit and healthy.

Lastly in bodybuilding it’s not, ‘the more the better’. Rather it is ‘the more precise the better’. Don’t over exert, eat balanced food and include plenty of rest. With everything good in life, patience, commitment, and balance will guarantee your success. With these tips in mind you are all set to pump iron!

A study carried out by the National Taiwan University Hospital and the National Taiwan University, College of Medicine in Taipei, determined that patients with partial bowel obstruction may improve with oral intake of laxatives, acidophilus, and simethicone.

According to some specialists, patients with partial adhesive small-bowel obstruction are usually managed conservatively, receiving intravenous hydration and nothing by mouth. “Previous studies have suggested that this approach is associated with longer hospital stays and an increased risk of delayed surgery”, as reports Shyr-Chyr Chen, MD, from National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine in Taipei, and colleagues.

From 144 consecutive patients with adhesive partial small-bowel obstruction that was admitted between February 2000 and July 2001, 128 met the inclusion criteria and were randomized to either the intervention group -IV hydration, nasogastric (NG)-tube decompression, and oral therapy with magnesium oxide, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and simethicone- or to the control group (IV hydration, NG-tube decompression, and nothing by mouth).

Most of the patients were men, whose age was 54.4 ± 15.9 years in the control group and 53.9 ± 16.3 years in the intervention group. A 91 per cent of patients in the intervention group and 76 per cent of patients in the control group had successful treatment without surgery.

“Oral therapy with magnesium oxide, L. acidophilus and simethicone was effective in hastening the resolution of conservatively treated partial adhesive small-bowel obstruction and shortening the hospital stay,” the authors write. “Further trials with larger patient samples are needed to verify the value of oral therapy for partial adhesive small-bowel obstructions observed in this study”, the experts report.

Question: I want to get my health back on track. What kind of nutrients would you recommend I should look into in the area of women health supplements?

Answer: Great question! There are plenty of supplements out there that can be of great aid to women’s health. One problem that plagues women, especially later in life, can be the dreaded osteoperosis. Since your body needs a steady supply of calcium, if you do not meet your body’s calcium requirements, it will begin to sap the calcium from your body’s teeth and bones, leaving them brittle and weak.

To prevent this, a calcium supplement can be of great aid. Coral calcium is one product on the market that can help prevent this ailment. Harvested from long-dead sea beds, the calcium found in coral sediments can help to pave the way for clear health.

Antioxidants are also key parts in maintaining the health of both males and females. Helping to stop the damaging effects of free-radicals (highly reactive chemicals that capture electrons and modify chemical structures), antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E may reduce the risk of cancer and muscular degeneration. Iron is also a key element that needs to be regularly consumed to help maintain the female body.

The body needs this mineral to produce red blood cells, and an iron shortage can result in anemia, a condition marked by a lack of red blood cells. Many of these simple minerals can help maintain your body’s structure and help lead you to great health. Some supplements even offer combined compounds that help to meet your daily requirements in a few of these categories.

I hope this article has helped you to learn more about your body and the things it needs to be working in its fittest form. Best of luck on your quest for nutrition!

Why not check out our nutrition guide at http://www.nutritional-supplement-guides.com/nut-ebook.html

This no nonsense book will tell you everything you need to know about nutrition.

Nearly seven million American children come home from school to an empty house, clamoring for a quick, appetizing snack only to settle for junk food. But instead of reaching for the sweets during those cool after-school days or hot summer nights, kids can put on the chef’s hat and prepare their own easy, tasty snacks that are just as satisfying.

Kids often shy away from preparing anything other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because it’s too difficult and time-consuming. But there is a wide variety of products available at the grocery store, like Tyson® refrigerated, fully-cooked chicken and steak strips, which simplify the snack- and meal-making process for kids. The strips go from package to plate in minutes-making it easy to prepare kid-favorite snacks and meals such as pizza, tacos and pasta. These well-balanced, do-it-yourself options are high in protein and have zero grams trans fat, so parents can feel good about providing kids with a wholesome alternative to help power them through their active days.

With snack and meal ideas like these, children can come home and reach for something other than the usual suspects-instead preparing a delicious snack on their own. Who knows? Maybe they’ll even graduate to making family dinners.

Fiesta Chicken Nachos

11/4 cups Tyson® Southwest Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips

1 bag (10 oz.) tortilla chips

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1. Layer chips, cheese and chicken strips on a large, microwave-safe plate.

2. Microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds or until cheese melts.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chicken Tacos Olé

1 package (6 oz.) Tyson® Refrigerated Fajita Chicken Breast Strips

4 taco shells

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Shredded lettuce

1. Heat chicken strips and taco shells according to package directions.

2. Fill shells with meat, cheese and lettuce.

Serving Suggestion: Other toppings can include diced tomato, salsa and sour cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Now that cold weather is blowing through, winter is definitely here. While even warm weather aficionados can find some things about the cold they like (hot chocolate, roaring fires, an excuse to stay inside and binge watch), it’s equally true that even cold weather fans can find drawbacks. And for men, that includes getting a red manhood from freezing temperatures and bitter icy winds. Finding ways to keep the member sufficiently warm during these winter months is part of good male organ care.

Red manhood

Now, there’s usually nothing wrong with a red manhood. Men who are fair-skinned tend to get a red manhood when it becomes firm, as the blood rushing into the engorged member causes a change in coloration. But sometimes a red manhood can signal a problem, such as being far too cold.

Anyone who has ever jumped into a pool of cold water has witnessed a cold red manhood � and one that is usually shriveled. But when the male organ is exposed to extreme cold temperatures for a prolonged time, it may actually get a little swollen and can experience extreme pain.

In some severe cases, a red manhood may be an indication of frostbite (or frostnip, an early stage condition of frostbite). Frostbite is accompanied by a numbness (lack of feeling or deadened feeling), swelling, blistering and fever, although not all men may experience all of these symptoms. If a man suspects he has a frostbitten member or other body part, he should seek medical attention. Severe frostbite can destroy tissue and in extreme cases may lead to amputation.

Keeping warm

To help fight that winter cold, there are several ways to keep the manhood warm during the winter.

�Don’t go commando. First and foremost, men who habitually walk around without underwear should suspend that habit when venturing out into winter weather. The cold weather can be too dangerous to male organ health, no matter how nice the feeling of freedom may be.

�Stand in front of a fire. Spending a few minutes in front of a fireplace can help warm up a member so it withstands the cold better during its first minutes outside.

�Give the member a rub. Similarly, taking a couple of minutes to rub and massage the manhood before tackling the cold can be beneficial. This will get the blood circulating and help deflect the initial cold.

�Tuck it in. If he is only going to be outside for a few minutes, a guy can try tucking his manhood between his legs for extra warmth. However, since it will pop out relatively quickly, this is a very short term solution.

�Layer up. Doubling up on underwear is strongly advised. Just as a guy may wear a shirt, sweater and coat to combat the cold, so should he consider wearing more than one pair of underwear. The bottom layer should be tight briefs, an athletic supporter or compression shorts, each of which will fit the male organ more snugly.

�Go thermal. It can also help to wear thermal underwear, which may add an extra layer of warmth to the region.

�Investigate wind briefs. Many runners wear wind briefs, specially designed underwear with an extra layer of protection in the midsection.

�Wear a member warmer. A man can invest in an actual knitted member warmer � or simply wear a (clean) sock over the organ when temperatures get frosty.

Taking steps to prevent a red manhood due to cold weather pays off. So does taking steps to ensure overall male organ health, such as regularly applying a top drawer male organ health crme (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). For best results, a guy should select a crme that is going to �cover all the bases� by including the major vitamins necessary for member health promotion � A, B5, C, D and E. In addition, the crme should include L-arginine, an amino acid which helps manhood blood vessels expand so they can accommodate a greater flow of blood.